Xreal has just launched what might be its best update yet to its smart glasses, as you can now turn any 2D content into 3D. I’ve tried it and the effect is incredible, although still a work in progress at times.
The XR glasses are now able to do this via a technical Xreal calls Real 3D. It first debuted on the Xreal 1S glasses and has since landed on Xreal’s One and One Pro specs as well thanks to an update.
When turned on, the glasses will add depth to previously flat videos and games. Best of all, it works on any app and with any system, as it’s not handled by your phone, laptop or console – Xreal’s specs handle all the 3D processing for you.
Starting with my phone, before I even started any apps, I could see the Real 3D in effect as it made my phone’s background – a photo I took of my fiance in Pompeii – have a stereoscopic effect, as did my app icons, which now hovered over the page.
I actually went into video and I both tried some animated projects – The eyes of Wakanda and Phineas and Ferb – as well as some live-action stuff – Rogue One and a YouTuber streamer’s latest VoD.
2D animation is where the technology really shines. The better-defined edges of objects apparently help the software distinguish elements from each other better, whereas Rogue One had occasional distortion around the edges of objects and some layers blended incorrectly.
eyes of wakanda, with its more complex 3D animated style, obliquely in between. Mostly great, but sometimes there would be noticeable errors in the glasses rendering. Regardless, overall I thought Real 3D was impressive and I’ll definitely try to use it.
You can adjust the strength of the stereoscopic effect in the glasses settings. You can reduce the errors at the expense of 3D effect strength, or make the effect much stronger at the risk of having a little more trouble in more complex scenes.
Once my video tests were done, I switched to my Asus ROG Xbox Ally X to boot Sekiro and The Binding of Isaac. As with shows, Isaacs simpler 2D style was easier to get a great 3D effect from, whereas Sekiro could struggle at times.
Sekiros issues was also affected by some noticeable drops in performance – such as a lower framerate and a subtle lag – that made it a bit more challenging to execute its more precise gameplay.
Exactly what XR needs
All of this is to say that Real 3D is a very impressive tool, if still a work in progress, as my colleague Lance Ulanoff found it to be when he sampled the Xreal 1S specs. Despite its occasional glitches, I still loved using it, and I’m excited to see how Xreal develops this technology over time.
I remember chatting with its team at an event a few years ago where we lamented the lack of 3D content available for XR hardware. At the time, outside of Disney Plus on Apple Vision Pro, you couldn’t just buy or rent a 3D movie.
As another participant in our conversation noted, the quiet part is that if you want 3D content for your glasses, you have to sail the seven seas.
This is obviously not ideal, especially for a medium like XR that is well positioned to exploit stereoscopic content. So I’m so excited that Xreal has taken such an initiative with Real 3D and decided to forcefully drag 3D content to its platform while content producers drag their heels.
It’s certainly another arrow in the already full quiver of Xreal glasses, and with time I’m sure Real 3D will only get better. The ball is also now with his rivals. Viture has something similar to Real 3D, but it requires an app on the device, while many other glasses don’t have anything similar.
This is how you experience true 3D
If you want to try Real 3D yourself, you need a pair of Xreal One, Xreal One Pro or Xreal 1S glasses.
They must also be running the latest firmware. The easiest way to fix this is to go to Xreal’s update page on your PC, connect your glasses to your PC using their USB-C cable and follow the on-screen instructions to install the update.
Once installed, connect your glasses to a compatible device and open the glasses settings menu by double-pressing the red button on your frames. In the display settings, select Real 3D and have fun with the new tool.
By returning to the settings you can turn off Real 3D, but you can also turn it off by removing your glasses and reconnecting them to your device. In addition, you can adjust the strength of the 3D effects.
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